Funeral Services of Deacon Birden Pettway

1
Funeral Services of Deacon Birden Pettway
Date of Services : March 12, 19t11i Pleasant Grove Baptist Church,
Gee ' s Bend, Alabama
Recorded by Kathryn Tucker Windham
Transcriber: Edna O. Meek
Begin Side 1, Tape 1
(Note: The family and friends of Deacon Birden
Pettway are loud in their grief , drowning out
many of the words of the speakers and the Minis­ter.
There is a Master of Order, Deacon John
L. Pettway, who introduces the several speakers,
but his words of introduction are not audible
enough to get the nemes of those who speak of
the dec e ased. Some of the speakers cannot be
heard , so their remarks cannot be included in
this transcript.
There is piano music in the background as the
speakers are testifying about the life of the
deceased . )
First Speaker: (Leading the casket into church)
• •••••• He restoreth my soul. He leads me in the
path of righteous for His name ' s sake. Yea,
though I walk through the valley of the shadow
of death, I fear no evil , for Thou are with me .
Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me . They
prepare a table before me in the presence of my
enemies . He nointeth me with oil . My cup
runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall
follow me all the days of my life , and I shall
dwell in the house of the Lord. When He went,
and to Him I 'll go . He still there, and He
opened His house, saying: Blessed is the pore
and the weary , for theirs is the Kingdom of
Heaven . Blessed are the meek, for they shall
inherit the earth . Blessed are the righteous,
for they shall advance . Blessed are ye when
men shall revile you and shall rebuke you , and
say all manner of evil against you falsely ,
for My sake . Great is your reward in heaven .
Ye are the salt of the earth . But if the salt
lose its savor , wherein then shall it be salted?
It is not good ; therefore good for nothing but
to be cast out and to be trod under the foot of
man. There's a city that sits on a hill that
cannot be hid .
(Family and relatives fill pews on right of church . )
Second Speaker: (Rev . I . M. Perkins)
Sisters and brothers, we are gathered here this
afternoon to pay our last respects , and for the
home going of this , our brother. We corne to
meet with the mourners . We come with those in
hope , for our hope is not of this world , but our
hope is in Christ Jesus . There are those of you
who cannot find seats in the rear. There are
seats up front . You can come down front.
Our program will begin with a hymn, rendered by
the choir .
2
Second Speaker: (Note: At this point , his words ar e lost in noise
and he seems too far away from the r ecorder to
hear him distinctly . He makes mention of a
"program" and some scripture . )
Ch oir : "What A Friend We Have In Jesus !!
Third Speaker : Reading the scripture from the Ol d Testament ,
the 90th number of Psalms.
(Note: He reads , in its entirety , the 90th Psalm . )
May God bless the r eading and hearing of His
word and bring much good to our souls .
Fourth Speaker: He reads John 14: 1- 14, and adds:
Choir :
Announcement :
I have read the first fourteen verses of the
14th chapter of John . May God bless the reading
of His words and edify the truth in our souls .
(Note : At this point in the program , there is 8
prayer being prayed . It is not clearly audible ,
and the congregation ' s responses are many and
loud . "Talk to Him , Talk to Him . " "Yes , Lord . "
"Have Mercy . II The words of the prayer cannot
be heard . )
"God Will Take Care Of You"
Next on the program will be "As I Know Him" , by
Brother Spurlin Pettway .
Fifth Speaker: (Brother Spurlin Pettway)
(Note : I could catch enough words to determine
that be was telling of their friendsbip ~ farming
together , business affairs ; how Birden 'Knew
the Lord". Could not bear it wel l enough to
record his words ver batim . )
Sixth Speaker: (Deacon Gol dsby Ross)
(Note : His first words are compl etely lost)
He was a man of honesty and truth and he believed
in the Lord . And I was there Tuesday night , when
he di ed . I was at the house. He loved his
Lord and Savior , Jesus Christ , and he told me so .
He told me . He lived a Christian life . He
talked about the Lord and how good the Lord had
been to him , and the Lord had been good to him.
He tol d me Tuesday n i ght when I left , "The Lord
has led me through four §enerations , and I know
that tbe Lord been good .
The Bibl e teaches us to give honor to who honor
due. I 'm goin tell this and it ' s the truth . He
been burdened with the honest name of his father .
He always paid his pr eacher , and some years back
he fell behind, and he made it his business to
come and find out what he owed . He did . He
asked and he was told exactl y what he owed. I
told him . He give $2 . 00 that day on what he owed ,
which was $23 . 00 . He said, IIWhen I meet here
next week , I 'm gwin pay you again" . He said,
3
Sixth Speaker: "I want to pay everything lowe . II Now , you see,
be said he didn t t want to join or re - jain, he
want ed to pay what he was supposed to do . He
said be meant that, and you know any man, woman,
boy or girl , if they put theyself in the Lord
and intend to do the right thing , the Lord is
certainly gain to help em do right . During the
middle of the week, he gave me $150 . 00 . That
was in the spring . Now, there's one thing, all
of us knowed Deacon Birden, and we knowed he was
a servant of the Lord . And we know the life
that he l ived. This is the last thing we can do
for Deacon Birden . This is the last.
Seventh Speaker : (Boston Kennedy)
I donlt have too much to say about Deacon Birden ,
because all us in bere knowed him . Deacon Bir­den
was a good man . You know one thing? I just
love the ~ay the Lord works , cause I know we
can ' t do nothin without Him . I tell you what I
believe . I believe in the Lord .
Eighth Speaker: (This being a female speaker, Arcola Pettway)
I am indeed happy to be here today to speak on
Deacon Birden , cause I kno~ him . About three
weeks ago he searched those woods from his
Obituary:
house all the way around to the ~ater back of my
house , and be was do~n the hil l, and he was
tel l in God what he wanted Him to know. And he
said, "Lord, I may not get back up on the hill ,
but if I don ' t get on the hill, catch my thoughts" .
At that time I went and sat on the back of my
steps and I went to Singing a song, "You Goin
Need the Love of Jesus". God said that. At
that time he heard me . He said, "Maggie" . I
said , IISir?" He said, "You heerd me up here .
I was talkin to the Man , cause this my last
j ourney do~n this hill . II I say , "Aw , Uncle
Birden , don ' t say thatl1. He said, "This rrry
last journey down this hill. You know what, I
want you to sing just one verse of that song".
And I gwin sing you a verse of it.
(Note : The song begins, but the outcries from
the family and congregation are so loud, it
is impossible to get the ~ords.)
( Note : The following is read from the printed
funeral program, by a female speaker . )
Deacon Birden Pettway was born to the late Mr .
and Mrs . Ottway Pettway on October 2, 1ti9ti,
in Wilcox County, Alabama . He confessed Christ
at an early age and joined the Pleasant Grove
Baptist Church, under the leadership of the
late Rev . J . C. Todd, where he served faith ­fully
to death . He departed this life March 5,
1981 , at 2:30 PM, at his home . He was united
in holy matrimony with the late Mary Lottie
Pettway . To this union, sixteen children were
born. Four deceased him in death.
Obituary :
Choir :
Minister ;
4
In 1976, Deacon Bi rden Pettway remarried , to
Mother Leah Pettway . He leaves to cherish his
memory a loving wife , Mother Leah Pettway ;
twelve children , two boys and ten girls : Ernest
Pettway , of Boykin , Alabama ; Eugene Pettway , of
Brooklyn, New York j Vinnie Pettway , of Boykin ,
Alabama ; Margaret Roland , of Detroit, Michigan ;
Mary Lee Hutson , Florae Brown , Love E. Pettway
and Matilda , all of Brooklyn , New York; Milee
Coleman and Arl ee Bennett , both of Mobile ,
Alabama ; Lillie Bennett , of Bri dgeport , Connec­ticut;
and Laricy Pettway , of Long Island , New
York ; t hr ee br other s : Ed O. Pettway, Israel
Pettway, both of Boykin , Alabama; and Balee
Pettway , of Br ookl yn , New York ; one sister , Aria
Pettway, of Boykin , Alabamaj two daughters- in ­law
; six sons- in - law j nine br others- in-law
and nine sisters- in - law; forty four grand­chil
dren ; thirty one great grandchil dr en j and
one gr eat- great grandchild ; and a host of
rel atives , nieces , nephews and friends .
Sleep on , Deacon Birden , and take your rest .
We love you , but God l oves you best .
A precious one from us has gone j
A voice we l ove is stillj
A place is vacant in our home
That never can be fil l ed .
He will never be forgot,
Though on earth he is no more .
But in memory he is stil l with us ,
As he always was before .
The family wishes to thank everyone for the kind
remembrances during the i l lness and death of
their l oved one .
(Note : There is activity in the church, and some
announcements, i ncl uding the reading of the names
on the cards accompanying the floral offerings ,
cards and messages . )
(End Side 1, Begin Side 2)
"Amazing Grace"
(Note: At this point in the service, the Minister
speaks . The family and congr egation continue to
be quite loud in their grief and r esponses , and
many of the minister 1s words are not understandable . )
••••••••• you understand the par ting of the family ,
even so much so that Jesus Himself understood .
Even before Jesus was crucifi ed , He had l eft the
sisters , Mary, Martha , and the brother they loved
so dearly . The brother had been taken in death .
Thereby they have to live to discover that God
doesn l t have to be there to do His job . But where
we ar e con ce rned t oday , we r ecognize that you who
are weak deliver the cry of His children . And
He is always present , because He is a spirit .
Wherever a heart desired God , His presence is
there . We would just like to let you know that
Minister :
5
in the lines that were written, today they say:
Sunset and evening tide , and one clear call
for me;
And may there by no mourning at the bar when
I put out to sese
Children, grandchildren, t he soul would not want
the mourning at the bar. For three Bcore years
and ten lived by reasonable and healthy people
may be four score years , and the years not be
filled with suffering and sorrow . God even
granted grace on the end of the years that
followed . He thereby tells with grace He gave
him a little more. And while you shed your tears
of sorrow, just look through those tear stained
eyes and see how bountifully blessed that you
have been as a family . Man is a fruitful vine .
A rose garden of beautiful flowers . Didn't the
bard once say:
"Tell me not in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream -
And the soul is dead that slumbers ,
But things are not what they seem .
Life is real , Life is earnest .
And the grave is not its goal.
Dust thou art, to dust returneth,
Was not spoken of the soul.
Lives of great men all remind us
That we can make our lives sublime ,
And, departing , leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time .
Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing over life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked, soul wrecked brother
Shall take and see heart again . II
As we have listened to the testimonies of those
who have come fo rward this afternoon , to talk
about the life of t his, our brother , there were
invocations and benedictions on the fact that
this life was lived. And life i s not a l ife until
it has been lived; no more than a song is a song
until it has been sung ; no more than a prayer is
a prayer until it has been prayed; no more than
a sermon is 8 sermon until it has been preached.
The great est life that one can live is a life
of a testimony . Others coming on behind can see
the glorious life of a l ife that is not lived as
as how I have been born again from my lips, but
how I treat my fellOW man . To live life, that ' s
what we ho~e for every soul . That ' s why he
could say, 'If I don t t get back on top of the
hill , judge my soul". I have lived with my
fellow man . Whenever I thought I was wrong , I
let no t temptation stand between us. I let
nothing separate me from the love of God . I l et
noth ing come between me and my soul . My soul is
all t hat I have .
Minister :
6
,<
Brownlee" got his old house and carried it over
to Camden and brought it back . Thanks be to God ,
the soul is always free. My mind goes back to
the hill . Amen .
I want to say today I have pestored Deacon
Birden for a total of nine years . Then I want
to say to the family, thank you for allowing me
to come and do my job. Amen. Thank you for
letting me come and do my job . Then I want to
tell Pleasant Grove something. As we think in
terms of our subject this afternoon, our subject
is taken from the scripture, IIWhen I come into
the kingdom, remember mell . Amen . And our sub­ject
this afternoon is , "Remember me , Lord ll
•
Remember me. Through the intellect , "I" becomes
a personal pronoun . Amen. And to the one that
is not so intellectual, it's just plain old lime" .
You see , while we are worrying about others ,
sometimes we have to stop and look at ourselvess .
I don ' t care what the others can do for you,
there ' s going to come a time in your life that
there is onl y something that you can do for
yourself .
And when it comes to making peace with God, you
are the only one . Then when it comes around to
the end of the journey, God is the only one
standing at the other end. And if you have made
peace with God , then you can look behind at a
frowning world and big it farewell . You have
testimony on the other end. While others stand
looking with tears in their eyes , your heart
start leaping for joy . God knows about the things
of this world .
(Note:
sOlU1ds
Here the words are lost in a jumble of
and noises from the congregation.)
While Jesus was hlU1g between the two thieves ,
i t was a design to destroy Jesus , to tear down
His character . But , thanks be to God , He took
a borrowed old Roman cross . God quickly said ,
IIWell , that was the sign you sent ll
• Thereby , not
only did He glorify the Father , but He dignified
Him also . And God added hope and renewed strength .
But you know, something here that happened on
t h e cr oss, the one that stood on the arm to the
right was the one who found out that 111 bave come
to the end of the hill . Now my soul bangeth
down between heaven and hell , and while banging
between the r e, I see that escape into a glorious
place over there , and the only way I can get there
is in Christ Jesus ." Look what he said when he
looked up there . He said, III see hope . I see tbe
Savior of sinners , who stand he r e and looking
down , and give His life . " But I know one thing,
He is here . Not because of what He bas done , but
because the world don ' t like Him .
*Brownlee Funeral Home
Minister : Th i s old world is no friend of gr ace . Lord ,
help me on my road . This old world is no
7
friend to grace . Whenever you want to do
something for the Lord, look at the opposition
in the world. But it says, "Be Not Dismayed,
for God is not mocked. For whatsoever a maD
sQweth , that he shall also reap. II But the
thief that stood on the right, he sai d , IlLar d ,
when I come i nto your kingdom, will you pl ease
remember me? " Amen . You see, this what
happen s here in life . I don ' t car e how many
loved ones you got , you soon get on a one way
str eet. And going down that one way street,
i t ts just so narrow that can ' t nobody get on
ther e but you and God. We going to say one
day , "On the Jericho Road. II Nobody b ut me and
my Lor d. That what make it so good. Everyone
i s on the journey. We always look for company
on the journey. Amen . Sometimes we are driving
from one state to another, but when ~ou look up
and see a car there on its way to the city where
you ' re gOing, you try to stay close to that car ,
most especial ly when it ' s going to a city you
have never been to befor e .
And the thief was on the cross , and he knew that
he had never been to heaven . He had heard about
heaven . He l ooked and saw the only begotten
Son of God hanging there , and say , "I want to
go to heaven , and if I want to go to heaven, I
got to make preparation . " I want to go to heaven
and I want to get in touch with t he one who has
already been t her e . I heard him say , "Jesus ,
t he only begotten Son of God, that will come
down to earth , I ' ve prepared a place for you. "
I hear d Him say one day , my Jesus s t ood looking
round heaven and I hear d Him say, "I go and pre­pare
a place for you, and if I go , I ' ll come
again and receive you unto myself, that where I
am , there you may be also . 11
And let us look at the three stages of life
her e , that br ought forth here , from early in the
morning I first lived in the first stage of
life . When men said that they loved you and they
meant i t when they said you ' l l live to the
noonday of life . My head has grown cold for
the love of God, I lived on till the evening
of l ife •••• • •••
(Note : Here the words are lost in the shouting . )
• • ••••• talk about Jesus is the way maker. God
is a way maker. For Jesus is the way . You
heard Him say one day , "I am the way, the truth
and t he l ife . No man cometh unto the Father
except by me." I heard Him say , "In or der to
love God, you. must fir st love your fel l ow man. "
If you l ove God, God is in your heart, and it ' s
a hard job to love your fellow man . I'm so glad
I've lived long enough to see a soul die that
loved fel low man. If he stomped his feet, it
was because he l oved God . I want to get back
and get right with my God.
(Note : Words are lost in shouting.)
Minister:
Choir:
Minister:
•••• looked at Jesus, our Father's son, and
say I'll tell you what, there is Pontius Pilate
that wants to crucify my God. But I tell you
what, that's all right. I don't worry about
being crucified. I carry my cross, I bear the
shame of God.
Walk about there and look at Jesus. Jesus there,
bore the cross, my Lord, in that day I have mend
my spirit. God of this life is about to come.
He told you He would come. I got to go in by
the door, and I see the one that's here, but
that's all right.
My Jesus prepared this soul. Got it ready to
forget back here, forget those sins.
I tell you what, I heard Him say, UNo cross, no
crown. The heavier the cross, the brighter
the croWD. II I tell you what, I put on that
cross, that Roman cross.
But that's all ri~ht, God's got a ready house.
I heard Him say, 'Blessed are the dead that die
in the Lord. They shall rest from their labor. II
Then I heard Him say, III'm not saved by my good
works, I'm saved by the grace of my good works. II
That's all right. I heard, "Blessed are my
Father's children. I go to prepare a place
for them. But if I go , I will come again, that
where I am, you may be also.
(Note: The words are lost in the shouting.)
IIGod Will Take Care of You"
I want to say to the family, before we come to
review the remains, you realize that Mother and
Father furnish you life. Jesus is the Mother
and He is the Father. We are saying this in the
song, IIGod Will Take Car e of Youll
• He will take
care of you. I want to ask you to look right
in your hearts. God is a prayer-hearer, and
He is a prayer-answerer. Just look in your
hearts, right now, before the undertaker opens
the casket. \fuat is in your heart? Ask God
yourself. Just say, when I come in your king­dom,
remember me.
Ask, each one of you, God give me strength, and
come up here and look at Daddy. And while I
shed tears, permit me to come and just stand
and shed tears, because I did what I could for
him. Just do that, and God will do . I'm a
witness that He will do. He gave me and my
family, in the same condition a few months ago,
the love and the strength, not of ourselves, but
of God. I'm not telling you something that I
haven't tried. I'm telling you something I
tried, and it works.
This is our friend . Those of us who loved him
wi~l want to share with the family. The church
is a family. If you are in the church, you are
Minister:
9
part of a family_ If you are not in the church,
you don 't know what we are talking about .
We 'll tell you that you want to be in the
church. Because when Jesus comes, the only
thing He' s coming back for is t he cburch.
You see, I have known a part of this family
nearly all of my l ife. We were in school
together. You j us t ask Him right now, while
we pause, grandchildren; great- grands and
great- great, and children. One thing left to
the children is the power of knowing God. You
ask t he Lord to give you strength . I'm not
going to be up bere to wipe your tears. Ask
Him for strength that you won ' t fallout. You
can come and look at Daddy with a smile on your
face, and a clear conscience.
Now, ask God, right where you are, just ask Him
for strength . Didn't I say , "Don't cry?1I Well ,
ask Him for strength . And then don't let us dis ­miss
the church before prayer. Just come
ar ound and view the remains and please go back
to thy seat.
(Note: There is the sound of people passing
by the casket to view the remains; the Minis­ter
' s voice urging them , from time to time, to
ask for strength .
Family crying and calling to the decased , asking
him to come back .
Choir softly Sing in g . Voices humming .
Voices asking that Granddaddy not be taken away.
Voices bidd ing Birden goodbye . )
(End Side 2, Tape 1 )

Click tabs to swap between content that is broken into logical sections.

This material may be protected under Title 17 of the U. S. Copyright Law which governs the making of photocopies or reproductions of copyrighted materials. You may use the digitized material for private study, scholarship, or research.

Holding.Institution

Birmingham Public Library (Alabama)

Full Text

1
Funeral Services of Deacon Birden Pettway
Date of Services : March 12, 19t11i Pleasant Grove Baptist Church,
Gee ' s Bend, Alabama
Recorded by Kathryn Tucker Windham
Transcriber: Edna O. Meek
Begin Side 1, Tape 1
(Note: The family and friends of Deacon Birden
Pettway are loud in their grief , drowning out
many of the words of the speakers and the Minis­ter.
There is a Master of Order, Deacon John
L. Pettway, who introduces the several speakers,
but his words of introduction are not audible
enough to get the nemes of those who speak of
the dec e ased. Some of the speakers cannot be
heard , so their remarks cannot be included in
this transcript.
There is piano music in the background as the
speakers are testifying about the life of the
deceased . )
First Speaker: (Leading the casket into church)
• •••••• He restoreth my soul. He leads me in the
path of righteous for His name ' s sake. Yea,
though I walk through the valley of the shadow
of death, I fear no evil , for Thou are with me .
Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me . They
prepare a table before me in the presence of my
enemies . He nointeth me with oil . My cup
runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall
follow me all the days of my life , and I shall
dwell in the house of the Lord. When He went,
and to Him I 'll go . He still there, and He
opened His house, saying: Blessed is the pore
and the weary , for theirs is the Kingdom of
Heaven . Blessed are the meek, for they shall
inherit the earth . Blessed are the righteous,
for they shall advance . Blessed are ye when
men shall revile you and shall rebuke you , and
say all manner of evil against you falsely ,
for My sake . Great is your reward in heaven .
Ye are the salt of the earth . But if the salt
lose its savor , wherein then shall it be salted?
It is not good ; therefore good for nothing but
to be cast out and to be trod under the foot of
man. There's a city that sits on a hill that
cannot be hid .
(Family and relatives fill pews on right of church . )
Second Speaker: (Rev . I . M. Perkins)
Sisters and brothers, we are gathered here this
afternoon to pay our last respects , and for the
home going of this , our brother. We corne to
meet with the mourners . We come with those in
hope , for our hope is not of this world , but our
hope is in Christ Jesus . There are those of you
who cannot find seats in the rear. There are
seats up front . You can come down front.
Our program will begin with a hymn, rendered by
the choir .
2
Second Speaker: (Note: At this point , his words ar e lost in noise
and he seems too far away from the r ecorder to
hear him distinctly . He makes mention of a
"program" and some scripture . )
Ch oir : "What A Friend We Have In Jesus !!
Third Speaker : Reading the scripture from the Ol d Testament ,
the 90th number of Psalms.
(Note: He reads , in its entirety , the 90th Psalm . )
May God bless the r eading and hearing of His
word and bring much good to our souls .
Fourth Speaker: He reads John 14: 1- 14, and adds:
Choir :
Announcement :
I have read the first fourteen verses of the
14th chapter of John . May God bless the reading
of His words and edify the truth in our souls .
(Note : At this point in the program , there is 8
prayer being prayed . It is not clearly audible ,
and the congregation ' s responses are many and
loud . "Talk to Him , Talk to Him . " "Yes , Lord . "
"Have Mercy . II The words of the prayer cannot
be heard . )
"God Will Take Care Of You"
Next on the program will be "As I Know Him" , by
Brother Spurlin Pettway .
Fifth Speaker: (Brother Spurlin Pettway)
(Note : I could catch enough words to determine
that be was telling of their friendsbip ~ farming
together , business affairs ; how Birden 'Knew
the Lord". Could not bear it wel l enough to
record his words ver batim . )
Sixth Speaker: (Deacon Gol dsby Ross)
(Note : His first words are compl etely lost)
He was a man of honesty and truth and he believed
in the Lord . And I was there Tuesday night , when
he di ed . I was at the house. He loved his
Lord and Savior , Jesus Christ , and he told me so .
He told me . He lived a Christian life . He
talked about the Lord and how good the Lord had
been to him , and the Lord had been good to him.
He tol d me Tuesday n i ght when I left , "The Lord
has led me through four §enerations , and I know
that tbe Lord been good .
The Bibl e teaches us to give honor to who honor
due. I 'm goin tell this and it ' s the truth . He
been burdened with the honest name of his father .
He always paid his pr eacher , and some years back
he fell behind, and he made it his business to
come and find out what he owed . He did . He
asked and he was told exactl y what he owed. I
told him . He give $2 . 00 that day on what he owed ,
which was $23 . 00 . He said, IIWhen I meet here
next week , I 'm gwin pay you again" . He said,
3
Sixth Speaker: "I want to pay everything lowe . II Now , you see,
be said he didn t t want to join or re - jain, he
want ed to pay what he was supposed to do . He
said be meant that, and you know any man, woman,
boy or girl , if they put theyself in the Lord
and intend to do the right thing , the Lord is
certainly gain to help em do right . During the
middle of the week, he gave me $150 . 00 . That
was in the spring . Now, there's one thing, all
of us knowed Deacon Birden, and we knowed he was
a servant of the Lord . And we know the life
that he l ived. This is the last thing we can do
for Deacon Birden . This is the last.
Seventh Speaker : (Boston Kennedy)
I donlt have too much to say about Deacon Birden ,
because all us in bere knowed him . Deacon Bir­den
was a good man . You know one thing? I just
love the ~ay the Lord works , cause I know we
can ' t do nothin without Him . I tell you what I
believe . I believe in the Lord .
Eighth Speaker: (This being a female speaker, Arcola Pettway)
I am indeed happy to be here today to speak on
Deacon Birden , cause I kno~ him . About three
weeks ago he searched those woods from his
Obituary:
house all the way around to the ~ater back of my
house , and be was do~n the hil l, and he was
tel l in God what he wanted Him to know. And he
said, "Lord, I may not get back up on the hill ,
but if I don ' t get on the hill, catch my thoughts" .
At that time I went and sat on the back of my
steps and I went to Singing a song, "You Goin
Need the Love of Jesus". God said that. At
that time he heard me . He said, "Maggie" . I
said , IISir?" He said, "You heerd me up here .
I was talkin to the Man , cause this my last
j ourney do~n this hill . II I say , "Aw , Uncle
Birden , don ' t say thatl1. He said, "This rrry
last journey down this hill. You know what, I
want you to sing just one verse of that song".
And I gwin sing you a verse of it.
(Note : The song begins, but the outcries from
the family and congregation are so loud, it
is impossible to get the ~ords.)
( Note : The following is read from the printed
funeral program, by a female speaker . )
Deacon Birden Pettway was born to the late Mr .
and Mrs . Ottway Pettway on October 2, 1ti9ti,
in Wilcox County, Alabama . He confessed Christ
at an early age and joined the Pleasant Grove
Baptist Church, under the leadership of the
late Rev . J . C. Todd, where he served faith ­fully
to death . He departed this life March 5,
1981 , at 2:30 PM, at his home . He was united
in holy matrimony with the late Mary Lottie
Pettway . To this union, sixteen children were
born. Four deceased him in death.
Obituary :
Choir :
Minister ;
4
In 1976, Deacon Bi rden Pettway remarried , to
Mother Leah Pettway . He leaves to cherish his
memory a loving wife , Mother Leah Pettway ;
twelve children , two boys and ten girls : Ernest
Pettway , of Boykin , Alabama ; Eugene Pettway , of
Brooklyn, New York j Vinnie Pettway , of Boykin ,
Alabama ; Margaret Roland , of Detroit, Michigan ;
Mary Lee Hutson , Florae Brown , Love E. Pettway
and Matilda , all of Brooklyn , New York; Milee
Coleman and Arl ee Bennett , both of Mobile ,
Alabama ; Lillie Bennett , of Bri dgeport , Connec­ticut;
and Laricy Pettway , of Long Island , New
York ; t hr ee br other s : Ed O. Pettway, Israel
Pettway, both of Boykin , Alabama; and Balee
Pettway , of Br ookl yn , New York ; one sister , Aria
Pettway, of Boykin , Alabamaj two daughters- in ­law
; six sons- in - law j nine br others- in-law
and nine sisters- in - law; forty four grand­chil
dren ; thirty one great grandchil dr en j and
one gr eat- great grandchild ; and a host of
rel atives , nieces , nephews and friends .
Sleep on , Deacon Birden , and take your rest .
We love you , but God l oves you best .
A precious one from us has gone j
A voice we l ove is stillj
A place is vacant in our home
That never can be fil l ed .
He will never be forgot,
Though on earth he is no more .
But in memory he is stil l with us ,
As he always was before .
The family wishes to thank everyone for the kind
remembrances during the i l lness and death of
their l oved one .
(Note : There is activity in the church, and some
announcements, i ncl uding the reading of the names
on the cards accompanying the floral offerings ,
cards and messages . )
(End Side 1, Begin Side 2)
"Amazing Grace"
(Note: At this point in the service, the Minister
speaks . The family and congr egation continue to
be quite loud in their grief and r esponses , and
many of the minister 1s words are not understandable . )
••••••••• you understand the par ting of the family ,
even so much so that Jesus Himself understood .
Even before Jesus was crucifi ed , He had l eft the
sisters , Mary, Martha , and the brother they loved
so dearly . The brother had been taken in death .
Thereby they have to live to discover that God
doesn l t have to be there to do His job . But where
we ar e con ce rned t oday , we r ecognize that you who
are weak deliver the cry of His children . And
He is always present , because He is a spirit .
Wherever a heart desired God , His presence is
there . We would just like to let you know that
Minister :
5
in the lines that were written, today they say:
Sunset and evening tide , and one clear call
for me;
And may there by no mourning at the bar when
I put out to sese
Children, grandchildren, t he soul would not want
the mourning at the bar. For three Bcore years
and ten lived by reasonable and healthy people
may be four score years , and the years not be
filled with suffering and sorrow . God even
granted grace on the end of the years that
followed . He thereby tells with grace He gave
him a little more. And while you shed your tears
of sorrow, just look through those tear stained
eyes and see how bountifully blessed that you
have been as a family . Man is a fruitful vine .
A rose garden of beautiful flowers . Didn't the
bard once say:
"Tell me not in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream -
And the soul is dead that slumbers ,
But things are not what they seem .
Life is real , Life is earnest .
And the grave is not its goal.
Dust thou art, to dust returneth,
Was not spoken of the soul.
Lives of great men all remind us
That we can make our lives sublime ,
And, departing , leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time .
Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing over life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked, soul wrecked brother
Shall take and see heart again . II
As we have listened to the testimonies of those
who have come fo rward this afternoon , to talk
about the life of t his, our brother , there were
invocations and benedictions on the fact that
this life was lived. And life i s not a l ife until
it has been lived; no more than a song is a song
until it has been sung ; no more than a prayer is
a prayer until it has been prayed; no more than
a sermon is 8 sermon until it has been preached.
The great est life that one can live is a life
of a testimony . Others coming on behind can see
the glorious life of a l ife that is not lived as
as how I have been born again from my lips, but
how I treat my fellOW man . To live life, that ' s
what we ho~e for every soul . That ' s why he
could say, 'If I don t t get back on top of the
hill , judge my soul". I have lived with my
fellow man . Whenever I thought I was wrong , I
let no t temptation stand between us. I let
nothing separate me from the love of God . I l et
noth ing come between me and my soul . My soul is
all t hat I have .
Minister :
6
,<
Brownlee" got his old house and carried it over
to Camden and brought it back . Thanks be to God ,
the soul is always free. My mind goes back to
the hill . Amen .
I want to say today I have pestored Deacon
Birden for a total of nine years . Then I want
to say to the family, thank you for allowing me
to come and do my job. Amen. Thank you for
letting me come and do my job . Then I want to
tell Pleasant Grove something. As we think in
terms of our subject this afternoon, our subject
is taken from the scripture, IIWhen I come into
the kingdom, remember mell . Amen . And our sub­ject
this afternoon is , "Remember me , Lord ll
•
Remember me. Through the intellect , "I" becomes
a personal pronoun . Amen. And to the one that
is not so intellectual, it's just plain old lime" .
You see , while we are worrying about others ,
sometimes we have to stop and look at ourselvess .
I don ' t care what the others can do for you,
there ' s going to come a time in your life that
there is onl y something that you can do for
yourself .
And when it comes to making peace with God, you
are the only one . Then when it comes around to
the end of the journey, God is the only one
standing at the other end. And if you have made
peace with God , then you can look behind at a
frowning world and big it farewell . You have
testimony on the other end. While others stand
looking with tears in their eyes , your heart
start leaping for joy . God knows about the things
of this world .
(Note:
sOlU1ds
Here the words are lost in a jumble of
and noises from the congregation.)
While Jesus was hlU1g between the two thieves ,
i t was a design to destroy Jesus , to tear down
His character . But , thanks be to God , He took
a borrowed old Roman cross . God quickly said ,
IIWell , that was the sign you sent ll
• Thereby , not
only did He glorify the Father , but He dignified
Him also . And God added hope and renewed strength .
But you know, something here that happened on
t h e cr oss, the one that stood on the arm to the
right was the one who found out that 111 bave come
to the end of the hill . Now my soul bangeth
down between heaven and hell , and while banging
between the r e, I see that escape into a glorious
place over there , and the only way I can get there
is in Christ Jesus ." Look what he said when he
looked up there . He said, III see hope . I see tbe
Savior of sinners , who stand he r e and looking
down , and give His life . " But I know one thing,
He is here . Not because of what He bas done , but
because the world don ' t like Him .
*Brownlee Funeral Home
Minister : Th i s old world is no friend of gr ace . Lord ,
help me on my road . This old world is no
7
friend to grace . Whenever you want to do
something for the Lord, look at the opposition
in the world. But it says, "Be Not Dismayed,
for God is not mocked. For whatsoever a maD
sQweth , that he shall also reap. II But the
thief that stood on the right, he sai d , IlLar d ,
when I come i nto your kingdom, will you pl ease
remember me? " Amen . You see, this what
happen s here in life . I don ' t car e how many
loved ones you got , you soon get on a one way
str eet. And going down that one way street,
i t ts just so narrow that can ' t nobody get on
ther e but you and God. We going to say one
day , "On the Jericho Road. II Nobody b ut me and
my Lor d. That what make it so good. Everyone
i s on the journey. We always look for company
on the journey. Amen . Sometimes we are driving
from one state to another, but when ~ou look up
and see a car there on its way to the city where
you ' re gOing, you try to stay close to that car ,
most especial ly when it ' s going to a city you
have never been to befor e .
And the thief was on the cross , and he knew that
he had never been to heaven . He had heard about
heaven . He l ooked and saw the only begotten
Son of God hanging there , and say , "I want to
go to heaven , and if I want to go to heaven, I
got to make preparation . " I want to go to heaven
and I want to get in touch with t he one who has
already been t her e . I heard him say , "Jesus ,
t he only begotten Son of God, that will come
down to earth , I ' ve prepared a place for you. "
I hear d Him say one day , my Jesus s t ood looking
round heaven and I hear d Him say, "I go and pre­pare
a place for you, and if I go , I ' ll come
again and receive you unto myself, that where I
am , there you may be also . 11
And let us look at the three stages of life
her e , that br ought forth here , from early in the
morning I first lived in the first stage of
life . When men said that they loved you and they
meant i t when they said you ' l l live to the
noonday of life . My head has grown cold for
the love of God, I lived on till the evening
of l ife •••• • •••
(Note : Here the words are lost in the shouting . )
• • ••••• talk about Jesus is the way maker. God
is a way maker. For Jesus is the way . You
heard Him say one day , "I am the way, the truth
and t he l ife . No man cometh unto the Father
except by me." I heard Him say , "In or der to
love God, you. must fir st love your fel l ow man. "
If you l ove God, God is in your heart, and it ' s
a hard job to love your fellow man . I'm so glad
I've lived long enough to see a soul die that
loved fel low man. If he stomped his feet, it
was because he l oved God . I want to get back
and get right with my God.
(Note : Words are lost in shouting.)
Minister:
Choir:
Minister:
•••• looked at Jesus, our Father's son, and
say I'll tell you what, there is Pontius Pilate
that wants to crucify my God. But I tell you
what, that's all right. I don't worry about
being crucified. I carry my cross, I bear the
shame of God.
Walk about there and look at Jesus. Jesus there,
bore the cross, my Lord, in that day I have mend
my spirit. God of this life is about to come.
He told you He would come. I got to go in by
the door, and I see the one that's here, but
that's all right.
My Jesus prepared this soul. Got it ready to
forget back here, forget those sins.
I tell you what, I heard Him say, UNo cross, no
crown. The heavier the cross, the brighter
the croWD. II I tell you what, I put on that
cross, that Roman cross.
But that's all ri~ht, God's got a ready house.
I heard Him say, 'Blessed are the dead that die
in the Lord. They shall rest from their labor. II
Then I heard Him say, III'm not saved by my good
works, I'm saved by the grace of my good works. II
That's all right. I heard, "Blessed are my
Father's children. I go to prepare a place
for them. But if I go , I will come again, that
where I am, you may be also.
(Note: The words are lost in the shouting.)
IIGod Will Take Care of You"
I want to say to the family, before we come to
review the remains, you realize that Mother and
Father furnish you life. Jesus is the Mother
and He is the Father. We are saying this in the
song, IIGod Will Take Car e of Youll
• He will take
care of you. I want to ask you to look right
in your hearts. God is a prayer-hearer, and
He is a prayer-answerer. Just look in your
hearts, right now, before the undertaker opens
the casket. \fuat is in your heart? Ask God
yourself. Just say, when I come in your king­dom,
remember me.
Ask, each one of you, God give me strength, and
come up here and look at Daddy. And while I
shed tears, permit me to come and just stand
and shed tears, because I did what I could for
him. Just do that, and God will do . I'm a
witness that He will do. He gave me and my
family, in the same condition a few months ago,
the love and the strength, not of ourselves, but
of God. I'm not telling you something that I
haven't tried. I'm telling you something I
tried, and it works.
This is our friend . Those of us who loved him
wi~l want to share with the family. The church
is a family. If you are in the church, you are
Minister:
9
part of a family_ If you are not in the church,
you don 't know what we are talking about .
We 'll tell you that you want to be in the
church. Because when Jesus comes, the only
thing He' s coming back for is t he cburch.
You see, I have known a part of this family
nearly all of my l ife. We were in school
together. You j us t ask Him right now, while
we pause, grandchildren; great- grands and
great- great, and children. One thing left to
the children is the power of knowing God. You
ask t he Lord to give you strength . I'm not
going to be up bere to wipe your tears. Ask
Him for strength that you won ' t fallout. You
can come and look at Daddy with a smile on your
face, and a clear conscience.
Now, ask God, right where you are, just ask Him
for strength . Didn't I say , "Don't cry?1I Well ,
ask Him for strength . And then don't let us dis ­miss
the church before prayer. Just come
ar ound and view the remains and please go back
to thy seat.
(Note: There is the sound of people passing
by the casket to view the remains; the Minis­ter
' s voice urging them , from time to time, to
ask for strength .
Family crying and calling to the decased , asking
him to come back .
Choir softly Sing in g . Voices humming .
Voices asking that Granddaddy not be taken away.
Voices bidd ing Birden goodbye . )
(End Side 2, Tape 1 )